


All Good

by SneetchesToo



Series: Lonestar Drabbles [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:33:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: ”I just need you. (Carlos/TK)TK isn’t so sure he’s up for this father thing.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Lonestar Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134860
Comments: 10
Kudos: 92





	All Good

**Author's Note:**

> *From a tumblr prompt!

Carlos wasn’t sure why he had four missed calls from TK when he arrived back to his cruiser after a routine traffic stop.

Nor did he understand why the man hadn’t left a single voicemail for him.

So he chalked it up to being butt dialed, or worse, toddler dialed, and he chose to ignore the calls.

Until he came back to the car two hours later after dealing with some kids who thought they were clever and found another six missed calls from his husband.

He let out a sigh as he leaned back against the seat and pressed TK’s name, listening as the phone rang and rang and rang.

It went to voicemail without the other man answering and he let out a huff before pressing ‘call’ one more time.

This time the voice on the other end answered him, and it sounded panicked.

“I don’t know what to do!” TK never sounded this worried, ever, even when he was on a call. “She won’t stop crying and she’s just thrashing around in bed. I’ve tried everything. I don’t know what’s wrong!”

He could tell his partner was crying and it broke his heart, clearly something was very wrong.

“Slow down Ty… what’s going on?” He watched as his partner raised an eyebrow at him as he closed his eyes. “Who’s crying?”

“Clara!” He shouted it like it was the most obvious answer in the world, but considering they had two daughters at home, neither one of which was prone to crying into all hours of the morning, he needed some clarification. “She wouldn’t take her bottle at seven. And I tried to put her down so I could get the twins ready for bed. But she just… she won’t stop screaming.”

“Okay… does she have a fever?” That seemed like the most obvious question and he was almost certain that TK would have thought to check the infant’s temperature before calling him.

“No!” He understood TK’s frustration, but his yelling was making his head hurt. “It was 98.7 when I took it at seven. And then again at eight, and at ten. It hasn’t changed more than half a degree. She isn’t warm. She isn’t tugging at her ears or coughing or anything. She just screams.”

“Did you burb her a lot, remember she was having problems with the acid reflux last weekend?” They had spent the better half of last weekend getting the infant adjusted to a new formula, the third one they had tried since bringing her home a month ago.

“I’ve tried everything!” He didn’t doubt that the man had tried his hardest to fix the little girl’s woes, but he also knew that sometimes TK could get a little lost in the heat of the moment and forget things. “I’ve burbed her, I’ve swaddled her and un-swaddled her. I’ve tried a warm bath and rubbing her head. She just won’t calm down. She’s keeping the twins up with her screaming and now they’re just out of control.”

“Jesus Christ TK, it’s almost midnight, they haven’t gone to bed yet?” He knew that without sleep those two would be a holy terror tomorrow and he felt for their preschool teacher more than he had ever felt for anyone before.

“I tried! They slept for maybe an hour, until Clara started reenacting scenes from _the Night of the Living Dead_.” He could hear the anguish in his husband’s voice and he suddenly felt very, very bad. “They got up and I let them watch a show in our bed hoping they’d pass out, but they’ve just been tossing and turning. Now they’re getting upset and crying because I’m worrying over Clara and not them. I don’t know what to do.”

“Did you call your dad?” Owen had told them to call no matter what, as had Michelle, and Judd and Grace and everyone else in their little circle of friends.

“No.” The sound of defeat in TK’s voice made Carlos’ heart hurt. “I didn’t want to bother them, again. They’ve already done so much. I mean, either he or Michelle has been here almost everyday since we brought Clara home. They deserve a break.”

He knew that was true.

But Owen and Michelle wouldn’t have volunteered their services if they weren’t up for babysitting.

“I know TK, I get that.” He sighed as he scrubbed at his face, there really wasn’t an easy solution to this and they both knew it.

“I just… **I really need you** here.” The words hit Carlos like a freight train and he felt like everything around him stopped. “I don’t know what else to do. I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“TK, we’ve been over this. She loves you.” TK had assumed that because Carlos had been the one to hold her first and give her her first bottle and her first bath that that meant she would never want anything to do with him. “She’s only six weeks old babe, give her some time.”

“She wants you here and so do I.” They had agreed that after taking a month off to help get the twins and Clara adjusted to their new lives together that Carlos should be the one to go back to work first. “I know we agreed, but I don’t think we’re ready.”

“Well it’s a little late for that love.” He let out a sigh as he saw the clock hit midnight. “Look, I’ll call your dad and Michelle, maybe they can at least take the twins so that there’s less chaos around there. I’m sure Clara’s just feeding off of everyone else’s stress.”

He heard his husband let out a huff on the other side and then there was a crash and a string of curses, followed by a little voice arguing with him over the need for cereal.

“And tell Olivia that Papa said she can not have cereal this late at night.” He waited as TK relayed the words to the toddler on the other end, chuckling when she gave an answer that was so very Olivia-like.

“She was not satisfied with that response.” Of that he wasn’t surprised, Olivia was a princess if nothing else. “What do I do Carlos?”

“You take a deep breath.” He took his own advice and inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I’m gonna call Michelle and have her and your dad come get the twins. Then you and Clara can get some sleep.”

“Only if she stops screaming.” The exhaustion in TK’s words was evident and Carlos had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

“Put her in the swing and put it in our room. Turn on the sound machine and make it as dark as you can. And then you lay down and close your eyes.” He knew how hard it was to not hold the infant when she was screaming, but Carlos had learned the trick of just leaving her be in her favorite spot and eventually she just got over herself. “She’ll be fine. She’ll fall asleep eventually.”

“And what if she needs me?” TK’s guilt was sometimes unreal and while Carlos understood, he really just wanted TK to give himself some credit sometimes.

“She’ll let you know. But I bet you that she’ll be asleep in less than thirty minutes if you do what I just said.” He wasn’t normally a betting man, but if he would bet on one thing, it was Clara’s sleep habits.

“And if she isn’t?” Carlos sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Then you stay awake with her until she’s calmed down and I’ll send in reinforcements.” He knew that Marjan was dying to get that baby to herself for a few hours, he was certain that he could give her a call and she’d be over in a heartbeat.

“I’m sorry I’m such a wreck.” TK whispered after a few minutes of silence. “I thought I’d be better at this by now.”

“I don’t think it ever gets any easier babe.” At least not from what he had heard from everyone else. “We’ll get her in a routine and eventually she’ll get used to Papa being gone some nights. It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“I love you. I hope you know that.” He couldn’t help but chuckle as his partner pulled up to the next call, indicating that Carlos should follow her when he got a second.

“I know.” He whispered. “And I love you too.”

“Forever?” That’s what they had promised when they stood before the officiant two years ago wasn’t it?

“For as long as you’ll have me.” He heard TK chuckle and it made him smile knowing that he could make his husband at least feel a little bit better. “I’ve got to go now, I’m gonna send Michelle and your dad over. Just relax, okay?”

“Okay.” He knew it was hard for TK to ask for help, and it was even harder for him to accept it when it was given, but he was getting there. “Please be safe tonight.”

“I will babe.” And then the line was dead and he couldn’t help but sigh.

He really wanted TK to have a little more faith in himself, especially when he knew that the man was an excellent father.

But then again, he knew how Clara was and if that little cry did anything, it tugged on your heartstrings, so he could feel where TK was coming from.

Letting our a breath he made his way out of the vehicle, typing a quick text and sending it Michelle’s way, praying that she got it fast.

_No worries. Gigi and G-Dog are to the rescue._

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the horrible nicknames the twins had given them once they started talking.

But Owen had refused to be grandpa and Michelle said she wasn’t old enough to be grandma yet, so he and TK had just taken it all in stride.

_Thanks. You guys are the best._

And then he was following his partner inside the house, doing his best not to let his mind wander back to home too much more.

He knew they would all be okay, even if it took a while to get there.

**Author's Note:**

> *Comments make me happy!


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